


smoother than a storm

by Highsmith (quimtessence)



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Andy | Andromache of Scythia Regains Immortality, Black is Beautiful 2021, Developing Relationship, F/F, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Humour, No Angst, Post-Movie: The Old Guard (2020), Romance, Snark, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29624409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quimtessence/pseuds/Highsmith
Summary: Technically, it's not barging in if you've been invited, regardless of the late hour. Then again, Nile is stretching the terminology here. But, on the other hand, she's pretty sure neither Joe nor Nicky would actually kick her out, especially when she's coming to them in need of urgent and very desperate help.Or: GIRL HELP! I've feelings for my immortal mentor-figure!
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Nile Freeman, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Comments: 28
Kudos: 95
Collections: Black Is Beautiful 2021





	smoother than a storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wonderluck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderluck/gifts).



> Title from "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde.

Technically, it's not barging in if you've been invited, regardless of the late hour. Then again, Nile is stretching the terminology here. But, on the other hand, she's pretty sure neither Joe nor Nicky would actually kick her out, especially when she's coming to them in need of urgent and very desperate help.

In the end, she does indeed barge in, though it's not as abrupt as it sounds. She does, after all, have some empathy for the hour, and, in fact, it's more of a sedate series of knocks (because being mindful of Nicky's itchy trigger finger and Joe's propensity towards jumpiness is a thing she's had to learn the hard way) until she hears (surprisingly enough) _Joe's_ voice telling her to come in. (She once thought she was alone in the safehouse and vacuumed with the music volume on high, only to find when she entered their bedroom to take care of the carpet there as well that Joe had been taking a nap the entire time.)

A couple of things happen at the same time. In a gesture that is truly impressive, Nicky manages to twist all of the blankets, of which there are multiple, around himself, while turning onto his side away from the door through which Nile just burst in. Meanwhile, Joe groans, drags both palms around his face, then finally faces her, blinking as if to ask why exactly she's in his bedroom while he's (thankfully) wearing only boxers as his husband betrays him completely by stealing all of the blankets for himself.

Nile can only blink. It is, objectively, kind of funny. Too bad her adrenaline is already way too high for her to fully appreciate the absurdity of the situation.

"I imagine you require assistance?" he whisper-groans.

"How did you guess?"

From somewhere in the nest of blankets, Nicky grumbles, "It's very late _and_ very early, dear Nile."

She sighs. No point beating around the bush then.

"I have a situation." When no actual reaction is forthcoming other than confusion on Joe's face (understandable) and a gentle snore from Nicky's cocoon of blankets (lucky bastard), Nile cocks her head and purses her lips. "With Andy," she pushes out.

Joe says, "Ah," while Nicky continues sleeping, unconcerned by Nile's emotional meltdown.

After a suitably awkward amount of time has passed where everyone continues not to say anything, Nile finally prompts them, "You guys are married. Surely you know something about handling this sort of... thing. Situation. Whatever. Oh, please tell me you know something relevant."

"Nile," Joe starts, "don't you think this is the sort of _situation_ where you need to, uh, fearlessly and confidently, uh, stand on your own two feet? Come up with a plan? Have you thought of a plan? Those usually work, except for when they don't, but then the backup is usually, uh, on point. Have you hit a roadblock?" He's squinting at her a lot.

Carefully removing any and all inflection from her voice, Nile says, "Golly gee whiz, how am I ever going to girlboss my way out of this one?"

Nicky suddenly says (Nile doesn't startle at his voice, thank you very much): "I only understood about half of those words. Would you mind repeating, Nile?"

While Joe tries: "Your leadership qualities are—"

She can't let this go on.

"It was a rhetorical question, but thank you for your input." Given that it's barely four in the morning, the fact that she sounds very tired shouldn't be surprising to her, but she feels like at least someone in this house should be able to deal with her (potentially) romantic conundrums.

*

It happens like this:

In April, Nile dies and becomes immortal.

One crisp morning in late May, between sleepy mumbles, Andy asks Nile to pass her the little butter tray, which Nile does as she has been doing every single morning since they settled in Ixia. She is then asked to pass the butter knife, which is unusual as Nile is never the one to set the table, but it seems Nicky forgot it near Nile's elbow earlier.

As she does so her hand slips, but Andy's already got a hold of it.

That butter knives should never be this sharp is a weird realisation to have.

It isn't even worth mentioning or noticing, except for how the knife somehow slips, and the knife just so happens to have been recently sharpened by Nicky to an absurd degree, and it consequently cuts Andy square on the thumb. Red bubbles up, and it's nothing, a band-aid could get the job done. Only there's no need. Because, within seconds, all that remains is a smear of blood pathetically clinging to Andy's finger. Nothing at all.

Except.

They stare at each other. Having kept up the chatter across the table, talking about fresh strawberries of all things, Joe and Nicky haven't yet noticed anything amiss. Meanwhile, Andy and Nile can't seem to shake similar expressions of complete and utter shock. And Andy must be the one who is more in shock here, as well she should be, even though Nile feels as if her entire body is both too hot and too cold, but Andy is rising to her feet while her face basically explodes into a smile that Nile has yet to see from her in the month they've known each other.

She's seen smirks and grins and tiny little half-smiles she secretly kind of prefers because they're always just meant for the person who sees them, but this one is powerful and bright and brightly powerful like the sun, and it's most likely the reason why Nile, too, is standing from her seat.

(She never suspected. Never knew it could be this beautiful. That's not the _point_ , but the adrenaline is pumping something _wicked_ in her veins.)

She means to hug her. That's all it's meant to be. That's all she was ever going to do, much less in their safehouse holiday kitchen with the guys sitting around the same table.

But, somehow, the hug never happens. Instead, Andy's reaching for her, that smile still bright as a star, and Nile's leaning in while also reaching for her in turn, and it's almost _natural_ to press her lips to Andy's. She tastes like toast and coffee and rhubarb marmalade.

And _that's_ when the chatter finally stops.

Nile snaps out of it first, but keeps kissing Andy for far longer than she should, and when Andy draws away _that's_ when it gets really awkward.

*

Joe ambles into the kitchen about two hours after Nile made the first pot of coffee. After he fills his mug, he sits at the table wordlessly.

Guess the words should be flowing from Nile here, huh?

She sighs. "Sorry for this morning. Or last night. Or... whatever."

Joe shakes his head. "Have you spoken to Andy?"

"She hasn't come out of her room yet." They have, for once, the luxury of three bedrooms. Nile doesn't know if that's better or worse.

"She will."

"She has to." She's _hoping_ the sheer awkwardness of all of yesterday didn't turn Andy into a hermit.

"Nile, have you considered you might not actually require assistance in this?" At her blank stare, he explains, "Maybe the stress is one-sided."

"Oh, it is," she quips mock-cheerfully.

"Uh."

"Look, Andy doesn't feel that way, but the awkwardness is kinda putting a damper on the whole team thing, you know?" She tries to sound reasonable here. She's always been the reasonable one. Someone _has_ to.

"How do you know Andy doesn't?" His voice sounds weird, but he looks perfectly normal, if still half-asleep.

"Oh, she doesn't. It was, you know, the sort of impulsive thing you do when you suddenly realise you get a few extra years. Or decades. Or centuries, whatever," she waves him vaguely off.

"Hmm, you think so?"

And that's not Joe's voice, what with him not opening his mouth and all. He looks smug, in fact.

Nile doesn't exactly jump out of her seat, but it's a close call. Not like she had much in the way of personal dignity (shooting herself in the foot and instantly regretting it took care of that one).

While Joe makes a hasty, amused exit with his coffee cup, Andy proceeds to fill her own and fill Joe's vacated seat.

"You have a lot of ideas for someone who's been banging around half of the night."

"You're talking about a conversation you only half-heard."

"I heard enough." Nile sighs. "What do you think I heard, then? Go on." She sips from her cup and waits.

"Look, you can let me down however you want, but I prefer it quick." She was about to also say _easy_ , but that ship has not only sailed but actually returned to the harbour and sailed off again.

Andy seems to think this over, head cocked. "Hmm, too bad. I like to take my time."

It's such a bluescreen moment Nile doesn't quite know how to tell Andy she's being a dick. (Because she is! This isn't fair!) But then she's out of her seat, leaning across the table, in front of Nile, and, well, it's mighty difficult to tell someone off when said someone is kissing you. For a very long time.


End file.
